Vacuum-lifting device



June 3o, 1964 E. R. Hlm 3,139,300'

VACUUM-LIFTING DEVICE Filed Nov. 22, 1961 lG-l 2 '2' 2/ Z/ /9 20 z/ 2/ 2/ /0 2/ d $4 A ff f I INVENTOR. inw/v 2. H/er iadn LZMMM ATTDP/Viy yrated from those above and below by dividers.

3,139,300 VACUUM-LIFTNG DEVICE Edwin R. Hirt, Orinda, Calif., assigner to Food Systems, Inc., Berkeley, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Nov. 22, 1961, Ser. No. 154,204 4 Claims. (Cl. 294-65) This invention relates to a hand-held article-lifting device, and more particularly to a hand-held vacuum-lifting device especially useful in the handling of relatively lightweight articles such as eggs.

Considering eggs as an exemplification of articles with which the device has utility, they are ordinarily transported in bulk form in relatively large crates containing multiple ats or layers of eggs, and each layer is sepa- Each layer comprises a plurality of eggs arranged in longitudinally extending and transversely extending rows, and dividers separate the eggs from each other and maintain the orientation thereof. The eggs are necessarily removed from such crates for inspection, repackaging, etc., and it is usually desirable to simultaneously remove several eggs from the crate, but less than the entire layer, as, for example, in repackaging the same in retail cartons each of which contains twelve eggs. In the past the removal, handling, and repackaging of eggs in such numbers has been done by hand, which is a tedious and time-consuming operation.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held lifting device especially suited to the handling of eggs, and which is light-weight convenient to hold and manipulate, and of simple, economical, and clean configuration so that it may be used effectively and eiiiciently in restricted Work spaces. Still another object is that of providing a hand-held vacuum-lifting device in which the longitudinal axes of all of the components thereof lie essentially within a common plane which provides ease in using the device and simplicity in the packaging thereof.

Still another object is in the provision of a hand-held vacuum-lifting device that may be quickly and easily disassembled or opened to provide access to the interior thereof to permit thorough cleaning of the interior so as to remove any foreign materials that may be drawn thereinto when an egg or like article is broken during handling thereof. A further object is to provide a device of the character described that is as conveniently used by a lefthanded person as by a right-handed person, and in which manually operable valve means for controlling the establishment of a lifting vacuum or reduced pressure Within the device is centrally oriented with respect to the handle and hand-hold therealong to facilitate such convenient manipulation of the device by either the right hand or left hand of a workman.

Still a further object is in the provision of a hand-manipulatable lifting device for use with eggs and similar light-Weight articles and which has a frame structure consisting essentially of a pair of hollow tubes one of which is substantially straight and axially elongated and the other of which is secured thereto adjacent one of its ends and terminates at its other end in a hand-hold portion disposed in spaced-apart and substantially parallell relation with the rst tube; all of the other components of the lifting device being directly carried by such frame struc ture.

Yet a further object is that of providing a vacuum-lifting device of the type described in which a longitudinally disposed carrier tube having a suction passage extending therethrough is equipped with a plurality of outwardly extending, longitudinally spaced and axially aligned vacuum cups and is also provided with a handle that extends outwardly therefrom in a direction opposite to that of the vUnited States Patent "ice vacuum cups; the handle having a control passage therein and defining a hand-hold portion therealong disposed in spaced apart and substantially parallel relation with the carrier and the handle adjacent the hand-hold portion thereof being provided With a centrally disposed valve means in the form of an open port communicating with the control passage and adapted to be closed by a digit of the workmans hand to selectively establish a condition of reduced pressure within thev passages and within the vacuum cups connected thereto. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification develops.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in whichy FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a hand-held vacuumlifting device embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal sectional View taken along the plane 2-2 of FIGURE l; and

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken along the plane 3 3 of FIGURE 2. f

The exemplary hand-held vacuum-lifting device shown in the drawing includes an axially elongated carrier 10 having a longitudinally disposed suction passage 11 extending from end to end thereof. The suction passage 11 is open ended, and a pair of closures 12 and 13 close such open ends of the passage so as to permit the establishment of a reduced pressure or vacuum therein. The closures 12 and 13 are removable and may be in the form of caps, as shown, which are slidably and telescopically related to the carrier 10 at the respective ends thereof.

The carrier 10 is equipped with a handle 14 dening a hand-hold portion 15 therealong and, if desired, the hand-hold 15 may be equipped with a hand grip 16 preferably of resilient character such as results by forming the same from a natural or synthetic rubber composition. The handle 14 has a control passage 17 extending therethrough which at one end thereof is in open communication with the suction passage 11 and at its other end is open. A closure 18 closes the open lend of the control passage 17, and such closure may be in the form of a disc, as'shown, that is held against the open end of the passage by the hand grip 16.

It will be apparent that the hand grip 16 could provide the closure for the open end of thepassage 17 if the hand grip did not have an opening in the end wall thereof, but it has been found convenient to use commercially available bicycle hand grips, and since they have an opening in the end wallthereof, the separate closure 18 is used. Since the hand grip 16 slidably andtelescopically engages the hand-hold portion 15 'of the handle, it is removable therefrom and, consequently, the closure 18 is a removable element. All of the closures 12, 13 and 18 may be formed of any suitable material as, for example, one of the thermosetting resin plastics such as polyethylene.

The carrier 1i) and handle 14 are both of tubular construction and are formed of a light-weight material such as aluminum. The handle 14 is xedly related to the carrier A10, and the connection of these two elements may be accomplished by any suitable means, such as welding, as shown in FIGURE 2. The forward end portion of the handle 14 angles outwardly and rearwardly from the carrier 10, and the handle then curves rearwardly so that the hand-hold portion 15 thereof is oriented in spaced apart and substantially parallel relation to the carrier 10. Thus, the longitudinal axes of the carrier 10 and handle 14 lie in the same plane, and the device is symmetrical with respect to such plane.

Communicating with the control passage 17 through a suitable inlet opening is a coupling 19 adapted to be connected to a vacuum source or source of reduced pressure, not shown, and the coupling 19 may be threaded into an opening provided therefor in the handle 14, or it may be otherwise secured to the handle. The handle 14 adjacent the hand-hold 15 thereof is equipped with valve means operable to selectively establish a condition of reduced pressure in the passages 11 and 17, andlin the specific form shown, the valve means comprises an opening or port 20 in the wall of the handle 14. Such port is positioned forwardly of the hand grip 16 but suciently close thereto so that it can be selectively covered by a digit of the workmans hand while grasping the hand hold.

The carrier is equipped with a plurality of vacuum cups 21 oriented therealong in longitudinally spaced relation and disposed in axial alignment. The specic device illustrated has six such vacuum cups, and they are equally spaced along the carrier and extend outwardly thereform in a direction opposite to that of the handle 14. Each of the vacuum cups 21 is resilient and compressible toward the carrier 10, and in the specific illustration is a rubber bellows' dening a .vacuumizable chamber 22 therein that communicates Awith the suction passage 11. At its outer extremity, each of the cups 21 is equipped with a resilient lip 23vadapted to engage an ,article 24 which is of relatively light weight, and may be an egg as shown in the drawing. At its upper end, each of the cups 21 is equipped with a boss 25 having a bore therethrough that receives a Vconnector 26 in the form of a hollow screw having a passage 27 extending therethrough. At its lower end, the connector 26 has a laterally enlarged head 28 thatbears upwardly against the boss 25; and at its upper end, the connector is threaded and is received within a correspondingly threaded opening provided therefor in the wall of the carrier 10. The head 28 of the connector may be slotted to receive a screwdriver, and thus the boss 25 of the cup 21 is confined between the wall of the carrier 10- and head of the connector 26,. when the connectorA is tightened, and is thereby fixedly though removably related to the carrier 10. The carrier 10 may be flattened slightly along the surface thereof having the vacuum cups 21 secured thereto, as shown in the drawing, although this is not essential. i

In` use of the hand-held lifting device, the coupling 19 is first connected to a source of reduced pressure, and a workman grasps the hand hold or grip 16 thereon in either handsince the device is symmetrical about a plane dened by the longitudinal axes of the carrier 10 kand handle 14, and also by the longitudinal axes of the various vacuumcups 21. WithV the valve V in its uncovered or open position, the suction passage 11 and control passage 17 are essentially at atmospheric pressure, and the workman shifts the device into alignment with a plurality of articles 24 and lowers the device until the lips 23 of the cups 21 respectively engage the articles 24. The valve 20 is then closed-usually by covering the same with the thumb of the hand that is surrounding the hand grip 16; and a reduced pressure is thereby established within q the passages 11 and 17 and within the vacuumizable cham bers 22 of the cups 21. The articles 2d are thereby firmly gripped by the cups 21 which compress toward the carrier 10 to elevate the articles slightly from their initial position. The workman then may transport, shift or otherwise relocate the articles 24 which thereafter can be released from the cups 21 and suitably deposited by uncovering the'valve port 20.

Should an egg break while the passages 11 and 17 are vacuumized, which could cause egg particles to be sucked chamber can be traversed from end to end thereof withV central orientation of the coupling 19 and upward disposition thereof keeps the suction line out of the workmans area of activity while manipulating the lifting device and permits him tofhave better control thereof.

It should Vbe noted that the plane-defining disposition of the longitudinal axes of the carrier tube 1t) and hollow handle 14 as well as the coplanar orientation of the axes of the cups 21, both planes being common, furthers the ease with which the device is used since the hand of the workman is not offset from the vertical plane defined by the row of articles to be lifted, and such plane, in fact,

is essentially coincident with the common plane of the device so that alignment therewith is direct. Additionally, the device is exceedingly simple and economical in that it comprises a frame structure consisting of two hollow tubes one .of which is straight and the other of which is welded to thelupper side of the straight tube with the passages definedY by the hollow interiors thereofr being in open communication. The gentle curvature of the handle tube 14 and termination thereof in spaced relation with the straight or carrier tube 10 affords ready access to the interior of the handle kfor cleaning. Because the only other components of the device are the vacuum cups, and the inlet and valve opening (both of which are mechanicallyv and structurally simple), the device is compact, light weight and economical and, as a specific example of one egg lifting device, the tube 1i) is 'approximately l0 inches in length and 1/2 of an inch in diameter, the tube 14 is approximately 7 inches in length and 3A of an inch in diameter, the vacuum cups 21 are each approximately two inches in axial length and 11/.1f inches in diameter, and the overall weight of the device is slightly less than 1/2 pound. y

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail for the purpose of making an adequate disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. A lifting device for eggs and like articles comprising a plurality of hollow tubes, one thereof being a relatively straight and longitudinally extending carrier tube and another thereof being a handle tube connected adjacent vone of its ends with said carrier Vtube and extending outwardly therefrom and providing a hand-hold in spaced relation therewith, the hollow interiors of said carrier and handle tubes being in communication and delining an open chamber .extending from end to end of each of said tubes, said chamber being adapted to be connected to a source of reduced pressure operative to withdraw air therefrom, a plurality of article-lifting vacuum cups secured to said carrier tube in spaced apart relation therealong with their interiors insuction communicationv with the interior of the carrier tube, a plurality of closure members respectively closing the open ends of said carrier and handle tubes to permit the establishment of a reduced pressure within said chamber to enable said cups to lift such articles engaged thereby, said handle tube being provided with a valve port therealong to be selectively' opened and closed for controlling the establishment of such reduced pressure within'said chamber when at least certain of said cups are in engagement with such articles, and at least certain of said closure members being removable `from such closing relation with said carrier and handle tubes to provide access to the chamber whereby the open, continuous and substantially unobstructed a cleaning implement to permit said lifting device to be cleaned without disassembly thereof.

. 2. A lifting device for eggs and like articlescomprising a plurality of hollow tubes, one thereof being a rela`- tively straight and longitudinally extending carrier tube and another thereof being a handle tube, a plurality of article-lifting vacuum cups secured to the under side of said carrier tube in spaced apart relation therealong with their axes lying substantially in a plane common to the axis of said carrier tube and with the interiors of said cups being in suction communication with the interior of said carrier tube, said handle tube adjacent one of its ends being connected with said carrier tube and extending upwardly therefrom and having its longitudinal axis lying substantially in the aforesaid common plane and providing a hand-hold in spaced relation with said carrier tube, the hollow interiors of said carrier and handle tubes being in communication and dening an open chamber extending from end to end of each of said tubes, said chamber being adapted to be connected to a source of reduced pressure operative to withdraw air therefrom, a plurality of closure members respectively closing the open ends of said carrier and handle tubes to permit the establishment of a reduced pressure within said chamber to enable said cups to lift such articles engaged thereby, said handle tube being provided with a valve port therealong to be selectively opened and closed for controlling the establishment of such reduced pressure within said chamber when at least certain of said cups are in engagement with such articles, and at least certain of said closure members being removable from such closing relation with said carrier and handle tubes to provide access to the chamber whereby the open, continuous and substantially unobstructed chamber can be traversed from end to end thereof with a cleaning implement to permit said lifting device to be cleaned without disassembly thereof.

3. A hand-manipulatable lifting device for eggs and like articles comprising a plurality of hollow tubes, one thereof being a relatively straight and longitudinally extending carrier tube and another thereof being a gently curved handle tube, a plurality of article-lifting vacuum cups removably secured to the under side of said carrier tube in spaced apart relation therealong with their axes lying substantially in a plane common to the axis of said carrier tube, each of said Vacuum cups being resilient and compressible toward said carrier tube and having a hollow vacuumizable interior communicating with the interior of the carrier tube and providing an article-engaging lip at the outer extremity thereof, said handle tube adjacent one of its ends being connected with said carrier tube and being curved upwardly therefrom and having its longitudinal axis lying substantially in the aforesaid common plane and providing a hand-hold in spaced relation with said carrier tube, the hollow interiors of said carrier and handle tubes being in communication and defining an open chamber extending from end to end of each of said tubes, said chamber being adapted to be connected to a source of reduced pressure operative to withdraw air therefrom, a plurality of closure members re spectively closing the open ends of said carrier and handle tubes to permit the estatblishment of a reduced pressure within said chamber to enable said cups to lift such articles engaged thereby, said handle tube being provided with a valve port adjacent said hand-hold thereof so as to be conveniently opened and closed to selectively control the establishment of such reduced pressure within said chamber when at least certain of said cups are in engagement with such articles, and at least certain of said closure members being removable from such closing relation with said carrier and handle tubes to provide access to the chamber therein whereby the open, continuous and substantially unobstructed chamber can be traversedfrom end to end thereof with a cleaning implement to permit said lifting device to be cleaned without disassembly thereof.

4. A hand manipulatable lifting device for eggs and like articles comprising a frame structure including two hollow tubes each of generally cylindrical cross-section, one of said tubes being a substantially straight and longitudinally elongated Carrier tube and the other being a gently curved handle tube connected adjacent one of its ends with said carrier tube intermediate the ends thereof and curving upwardly therefrom and extending therealong so that the longitudinal axes of said carrier and handle tubes dene a common plane and said handle tube terminating in a hand-hold oriented in spaced relation with said carrier tube, the hollow interiors of said carrier and handle tubes being in communication and defining an open chamber extending from end to end of each of said tubes, a plurality of article-lifting vacuum cups removably secured to the underside of said carrier tube in spaced apart relation therealong with their axes lying substantially in the aforesaid common plane, each of said .vacuum cups being resilient and having a hollow vacuumizable interior communicating with the interior of the carrier tube and providing an articleengaging lip at the outer extremity thereof, a plurality of closure members respectively closing the open ends of said carrier and handle tubes to permit the establishment of a reduced pressure within said chamber to enable said cups to lift such articles engaged thereby, said handle tube being provided both with an inlet communicating with said chamber and adapted to be connected to a source of reduced pressure and with a valve port adjacent said hand-hold so as to be conveniently opened and closed to selectively control the establishment of such reduced pressure within said chamber when at least certain of said cups are in engagement with such articles, and said closure members being in telescopic engagement with the respectively associated ends of said tubes and at least certain of said closure members being removable therefrom to provide access toi the chamber whereby the open, continuous and substantially unobstructed chamber can be traversed from end to end thereof with a cleaning implement to permit said lifting device to be cleaned without disassembly thereof.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,840,415 Morris June `24, 1958 2,903,290 Morris et al. Sept. 5, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 591,917 Canada Feb. 2, 1960 

1. A LIFTING DEVICE FOR EGGS AND LIKE ARTICLES COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF HOLLOW TUBES, ONE THEREOF BEING A RELATIVELY STRAIGHT AND LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CARRIER TUBE AND ANOTHER THEREOF BEING A HANDLE TUBE CONNECTED ADJACENT ONE OF ITS ENDS WITH SAID CARRIER TUBE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM AND PROVIDING A HAND-HOLD IN SPACED RELATION THEREWITH, THE HOLLOW INTERIORS OF SAID CARRIER AND HANDLE TUBES BEING IN COMMUNICATION AND DEFINING AN OPEN CHAMBER EXTENDING FROM END TO END OF EACH OF SAID TUBES, SAID CHAMBER BEING ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF REDUCED PRESSURE OPERATIVE TO WITHDRAW AIR THEREFROM, A PLURALITY OF ARTICLE-LIFTING VACUUM CUPS SECURED TO SAID CARRIER TUBE IN SPACED APART RELATION THEREALONG WITH THEIR INTERIORS IN SUCTION COMMUNICATION WITH THE INTERIOR OF THE CARRIER TUBE, A PLURALITY OF CLOSURE MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY CLOSING THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID CARRIER AND HANDLE TUBES TO PERMIT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A REDUCED PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CHAMBER TO ENABLE SAID CUPS TO LIFT SUCH ARTICLES ENGAGED THEREBY, SAID HANDLE TUBE BEING PROVIDED WITH A VALVE PORT THEREALONG TO BE SELECTIVELY OPENED AND CLOSED FOR CONTROLLING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SUCH REDUCED PRESSURE WITHIN SAID CHAMBER WHEN AT LEAST CERTAIN OF SAID CUPS ARE IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SUCH ARTICLES, AND AT LEAST CERTAIN OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBERS BEING REMOVABLE FROM SUCH CLOSING RELATION WITH SAID CARRIER AND HANDLE TUBES TO PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE CHAMBER WHEREBY THE OPEN, CONTINUOUS AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNOBSTRUCTED CHAMBER CAN BE TRAVERSED FROM END TO END THEREOF WITH A CLEANING IMPLEMENT TO PERMIT SAID LIFTING DEVICE TO BE CLEANED WITHOUT DISASSEMBLY THEREOF. 